Givaudan, Bühler, and Migros partner up to develop cultured meat

The Cultured Food Innovation Hub will be located in The Valley in Kemptthal, just outside of Zurich, Austria.

The new entity will provide facilities and knowledge to accelerate other companies on their cultured meat, cultured fish and seafood, and precision fermentation journeys. The Cultured Food Innovation Hub will be equipped with a product development lab as well as cell culture and bio fermentation capabilities to help start-ups develop and go to market with the right product.

As demand for meal alternatives pick up, innovation is needed to supply the world with ethical and sustainable protein.

What is cultured meat?

Animal cells are used as a starting point, and then technologies such as fermentation are employed for the cultivation of meat products. The result is meat that is identical in structure and in taste to its animal counterpart with vastly reduced environmental impact and no mass farming or slaughter.

“Cellular agriculture offers a solution in several areas from reducing land use and water, to animal welfare, to the safety and quality of the food chain. The three partners in this new venture are each committed to sustainability as individual companies; the combined effort enables the journey to a more sustainable food system,” says Ian Roberts, Chief Technology Officer at Bühler.

“This truly unique partnership has the potential to be ground-breaking and to have an incredible, positive impact on the world,” says Matthew Robin, Managing Director Elsa-Mifroma at Migros-Industrie: “Consumers are beginning to understand the idea of cellular agriculture and the benefits it can provide; the market is poised for exceptional growth. When you put it all together it’s a winning combination for the planet.”

The Cultured Food Innovation Hub will go live in 2022.